Widewater Lagoon with a Kestrel, Snow Buntings and Little Egrets

Yesterday the sun was out so I decided to go for a longer planned walk along by the Wildwater Lagoon.  It was a much calmer day and mostly there were fewer birds around.

Several Cormorants on the middle island and loads of gulls.  Several Little Egrets again but no sign of any Little Grebes today - I expect they've moved on.

In addition to the two Snow Buntings that are still about, there's a reported Black Redstart  Whilst it had been seen earlier that morning by another birder it still remained elusive to me.

When I got out of the car a Kestrel was hovering high overhead.  I grabbed the camera just as a gull appeared and a mid-air fight took place.  In the end the gull gave up and the kestrel eventually came back - alighting, very briefly on a post not that far away.

The sign reads "It is an offence not to clean up after
your dog"
I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions about
treatment for birds ;)

I sat and watched the Snow Buntings for a while.  Being a Monday I mostly had the beach to myself and only 2 dog walkers this time!

On my way back I came down from the bank and path that divides the sea from the lagoon and walked along the edge of the lagoon.  There were 2 Little Egrets together at one point.

and I managed some pictures of the lagoon itself.

These two are taken from the eastern end looking west.  The lagoon is split by a walkway into two parts; the first picture representing the first part.

 and this taken looking westwards to the 2nd part.

and finally looking eastwards back towards the car park and where I started my walk.

A very pleasant walk in the sunshine... and is it really January??

I expect I shall be returning over the coming months but I would guess that the winter/spring will produce more birds than summer.  Equally, the car park is free in winter but, not illogically, as it is a holiday resort, charges apply in the summer months!